Suspension of disbelief is an oft-used tool in national politics. Which is why no one flinched in question time on Tuesday as Labor branded a Medicare co-payment, floated by federal Health Minister Peter Dutton to contain costs, as ''the proposed GP tax''.

A potentially worthy policy idea converted into a certainty and reduced to a powerful negative slogan. Who knew? For Labor, it was a soda. Easy money. Politics 101 with the arsenic tang of payback thrown in.

Cue the pantomime acting on the government side as frontbenchers' heads rolled back in mock incredulity, flabbergasted at such an unworthy suggestion.

There was no hint of shame either from a governing party that had ridden to power substantially on the mother of all scare campaigns, ''Labor's great big new tax on everything''.

As Parliament resumed for only its second week this year, and notwithstanding a reversal of roles, one could be forgiven for thinking time had somehow doubled back on itself.

Even the themes were perennial, including health spending cuts and the ever-reliable CTs: Craig Thomson and the carbon tax.

Thomson's conviction last week proved irresistible - especially for a government yet to fully cast off its opposition mentality and already struggling to propose actual legislation for debate.

In a thorough debasement of previous historic gestures (think the stolen generations, British migrant children, victims of forced adoptions), the so-called conservatives used their numbers to issue a parliamentary apology to Health Services Union members and officials ripped off by their erstwhile national boss, the aforementioned Thomson.

It was a stunt.

That HSU members are owed an apology is undoubted. That Labor has to carry much of the blame for Thomson and his ongoing protection is also beyond question. But an apology from the peoples' house? Rubbish. In fact, Thomson's lies to the Parliament had made it a victim of his deceit also.

Previous apologies recognised the harm done by past policies. They were magnificent weighty gestures, valued both for their sincerity and their rarity. This, by contrast, was motivated by political immaturity and vanity. Its architects should themselves apologise.

Then there's the carbon tax. As the government showed, there's a yelp in that mangy old dog yet, if you kick it hard enough. This one will be kicked firmly from here to July.

Labor's approach this term owes a lot to the successful model of high-impact oppositionism pioneered by Tony Abbott between 2010 and 2013. As one adviser said: ''We're now gonna give them what they gave us - nothing.''

Unsurprisingly, however, this is no two-way street. Abbott and Hockey were students of politics through the Labor years too. But what they gleaned from watching Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard was what not to do.

Specifically, it involved not chasing popularity.

Polls over the past few months have made for difficult reading for Coalition loyalists. Just this week Newspoll put two-party-preferred support for Labor well ahead of the the Coalition on 54-46. How could Abbott and company have lost ground so quickly to a party loathed by voters and regarded as so shambolic in power so recently?

It is a good question, but if you think Abbott and Hockey are asking it, you are wrong.

Both have told their charges to hold their nerve, warning that government is always a tough business and never more so than now. There are no short cuts.

Indeed, Hockey has gone further, privately telling colleagues he wouldn't mind if the government was trailing by 10 points at the close of this year or even later.

His eyes are firmly on 2016. He wants to go to that election with a swag of hard decisions already taken and the credible claim of progress towards a balanced budget.

May's budget will thus invite the negative announcement impact of many of those decisions - even if the plan is to delay the cuts themselves until the out-years of the four-year cycle.

It will be a difficult balancing act compounded by election 2013 promises to quarantine health, education, defence, aged pensions - in short, all the big-ticket items on the cost side of the budget - while introducing no new taxes and abolishing others.

Abbott gave an indication of that difficulty on Monday when he said education would not face cuts but the rate of growth in education spending would be curbed.

In ordinary speak, that's a cut. And voters are less inclined to suspend disbelief.

68 comments

The saddest aspect of this article is that it can't help but portray our Government in the manner of some vast and highly entertaining game. It Bloody well isn't a game - and there are huge issues at stake both within and outside our migration zone for bast numbers ofAustralians and would-be Australians. YET this is how our politicians behave. Octogenarian school bully trained.

Commenter

Christopher

Location

Watershipdownunder

Date and time

February 27, 2014, 7:32AM

What bothers me is that Craig Thomson still has the right of appeal and has not yet been sentenced. However, the government - to their own detriment- are still kicking him in the head despite the fact that the case has not been FULLY settled. Worse, the apology covers the likes of Williams and Jackson - NOT directed to the rank and file members. From memory, Williams is still awaiting sentencing, isn't he?

Commenter

Jump

Date and time

February 27, 2014, 10:10AM

You are so right, Christopher. To the pollies, journos and inflated ego ill experienced, rude staffers who infest every blog, it is just a game. An infantile game of point scoring which leaves the adults of the voting public in disgust. Sack the bloody lot of them and get some real leaders. Malcolm, are you listening?

Commenter

Yvonne

Date and time

February 27, 2014, 10:16AM

Good comment! However what Mark pointed out is correct and the big problem is that the press will be no longer interested in todays issues in 2016. Labor has to maintain those issues in the public mind and they are not doing agood job of maintaining today's issues. Why aren't they calling the government for lying about just about everything since the election?

Commenter

Pollyho

Date and time

February 27, 2014, 10:41AM

Avid readers of SMH comments with good memories might recall that I predicted this a couple of years ago. Abbott's tactics in opposition were so effective, it was inevitable that Labor would learn from the experience. Not that I credit Abbott with a brilliant strategy, successful as it was. I think he just followed his instincts - use every bit of dirty play that the referee will let you get away with. To him, being in opposition meant destroying every policy put forward by the government no matter how good it might be for the country. He even said so - "Uh, I thought uh, that the job of opposition uh, was to oppose."There's an obvious downside to the strategy that is now constraining the government. Having ridiculed some very good Labor policies, they now have to implement inferior alternatives. Hopefully Labor will learn from that as well and not go overboard with negativity, no matter how tempting.

Commenter

jesie

Date and time

February 27, 2014, 10:53AM

Joe's focus is on 2016 alright, and where is he going to get the money from for all his middle class welfare, pre-election giveaways.

Commenter

Cee Bee

Date and time

February 27, 2014, 1:33PM

I may have a short memory, but while Rudd seemed preoccupied with good polling numbers, I am pretty sure Gillard was more associated with: 'while polls may come and go, the only poll that counts is on election day'.

Commenter

Drewtone

Date and time

February 27, 2014, 7:46AM

Nope Drewtone she was obsessed by them also. Do you forget the Scott she imported that likely assisted in her loosing the job?

Commenter

J Walker

Date and time

February 27, 2014, 8:32AM

Yes, I recall Gillard telling caucus to 'hold their nerve' too. However, it seems the press have been, and continue to remain one-eyed and enthralled with the LNP political antics; casting them as some kind of superior political strategeum. Who really believes Abbott and Hockey are so clever and above ego, that they relish low poll numbers? Pft. I can't help but think our press are being foolish. But, then again— once a fool, always a fool.

Commenter

Julia

Date and time

February 27, 2014, 8:57AM

@ Julia,

Got to agree with you thoughts.

The GP co-payment thought bubble was dead before it was called a "GP tax", there were rumblings late last week and early this week about its demise because most people already pay well above schedule to see a GP. Add to this the fear of people heading down to emergency when they haven't got the cash to see a GP and further clogging up A&E.

26 Feb
Government anger over Labor Senator Stephen Conroy's attack on the three-star general in charge of Operation Sovereign Borders has erupted in Parliament, resulting in a furious debate and claims from Opposition Leader Bill Shorten that the Coalition is "hiding behind the military".